On the Cartier duality of certain finite group schemes of type \((p^n, p^n)\) (Q1957987)

Let \(p\) be a prime number and let \(l\geq 1\) be an integer. Let \(A\) be a commutative ring with unity, let \(\lambda\) be a non-zero element of \(A\), and let \(X\) be an indeterminate. Then there are \(A\)-Hopf algebras \(A[X,(1+\lambda X)^{-1}]\) and \(A[X,(1+\lambda^{p^l}X)^{-1}]\), corresponding to \(A\)-group schemes \({\mathcal G}^{(\lambda)}:= \text{Spec}\;A[X,(1+\lambda X)^{-1}]=\text{Hom}_{A-alg}(A[X,(1+\lambda X)^{-1}],-)\) and \({\mathcal G}^{(\lambda^{p^l})}:= \text{Spec}\;A[X,(1+\lambda^{p^l}X)^{-1}]=\text{Hom}_{A-alg}(A[X,(1+\lambda^{p^l}X)^{-1}],-)\). There is a homomorphism of \(A\)-Hopf algebras \(\phi: A[X,(1+\lambda^{p^l}X)^{-1}]\rightarrow A[X,(1+\lambda X)^{-1}]\) defined as \(\phi(X)=\lambda^{-{p^l}}((1+\lambda X)^{p^l}-1)\). Consequently, there is a homomorphism of group schemes \(\psi^{(l)}: {\mathcal G}^{(\lambda)}\rightarrow {\mathcal G}^{(\lambda^{p^l})}\) defined as follows: for an \(A\)-algebra \(B\), and element \(f\in {\mathcal G}^{(\lambda)}(B)\), one has \(\psi^{(l)}(f)(X)=f(\phi(X))\). For an affine group scheme \(G\), let \(\hat G\) denote the completion of \(G\) along the zero section. Then the homomorphism \(\psi^{(l)}\) above extends to a homomorphism \(\psi^{(l)}: \widehat{\mathcal G}^{(\lambda)}\rightarrow \widehat{\mathcal G}^{(\lambda^{p^l})}\). Now assume that \(A\) has characteristic \(p\). Let \(N_l=\text{ker}(\psi^{(l)})\) and let \(N_l^D\) be its Cartier dual. In a previous paper [Tokyo J. Math. 33, No. 1, 117--127 (2010; Zbl 1204.14021)] one of the coauthors here \textit{M. Amano} shows the following: Let \(W_A\) denote the group scheme of Witt vectors over \(A\), let \(W_{l,A}\) be the Witt ring scheme of length \(l\) over \(A\) and let \(F: W_{l,A}\rightarrow W_{l,A}\) denote the Frobenius endomorphism of \(W_{l,A}\). Let \([\lambda]\) denote the Teichmüller lifting of \(\lambda\). Then \(N_l^D\) is canonically isomorphic to the kernel of the homomorphism \(F^{(\lambda)}:=F-[\lambda^{p-1}]: W_{l,A}\rightarrow W_{l,A}\). In the paper under review M. Amano and coauthor N. Aki extend this result as follows. Let \(\lambda\), \(\mu\) be elements of \(A\), and let \(X,Y\) be indeterminates. Let \({\mathcal E}^{(\lambda,\mu,Q)}=\text{Spec}\;A[X,Y,(1+\lambda X)^{-1}, (Q(X)+\mu Y)^{-1}]\) and \({\mathcal E}^{(\lambda^{p^l},\mu^{p^l},Q')}=\text{Spec}\;A[X,Y,(1+\lambda^{p^l} X)^{-1}, (Q'(X)+\mu^{p^l} Y)^{-1}]\) be \(A\)-group schemes (here \(Q,Q'\) are certain deformations of the Artin-Hasse exponential series). Let \(\widehat {\mathcal E}^{(\lambda,\mu,Q)}\); \(\widehat {\mathcal E}^{(\lambda^{p^l},\mu^{p^l},Q')}\) denote their completions. Then there is a surjective group scheme homomorphism \(\psi_2^{(l)}: \widehat {\mathcal E}^{(\lambda,\mu,Q)}\rightarrow \widehat {\mathcal E}^{(\lambda^{p^l},\mu^{p^l},Q')}\) defined by \((x,y)\mapsto (x^{p^l},y^{p^l})\). Let \(N_{2,l}=\text{ker}(\psi_2^{(l)})\). The authors show that the Cartier dual \(N_{2,l}^D\) is canonically isomorphic to the kernel of the homomorphism \(U_l: W^2_{l,A}\rightarrow W^2_{l,A}\) where \(U_l\) is the restriction to \(W^2_{l,A}\) of a certain endomorphism \(U\) of \(W_A^2\).